Driving Impression: 2008 Acura TL Type-S Six-speed
Click the photo of the 2008 TL for a high-res gallery
Acura kicked off its 2008 model presentation with a rundown of what's new for 2008, which isn't much. The bulk of the presentation was actually about the development of the AXR-01 LMP2 race car. Once that was over, we had the opportunity to select from a fleet TL and TSX sedans for the drive out to Waterford Hills Raceway. I hopped into a six-speed manual TL Type-S to traverse the forty mile route that Acura laid out for us.
The driving route consisted of a mix of stop-and-go and medium-speed city driving, low-speed neighborhoods and twisty back roads. Under the hood, the TL Type-S has a 3.5L SOHC V-6 equipped with Honda's VTEC variable valve timing system. The V-6 has an output of 286 hp and 256 lb-ft of twisting force. The torque peaks at 5,000 rpm but feels reasonably strong at lower revs as well giving the engine a flexible, responsive feel.
Gallery: 2008 Acura TL Type-s ride
The powerplant's output is transferred from the crankshaft to the front wheels of our tester via a six-speed manual transmission. Rowing the shifter proved to be a smooth, effortless exercise. The gearbox had precise gates and never felt notchy even when being downshifted quickly to make a pass on a two-lane road. The clutch was also nicely weighted with a smooth takeup. Around town, the TL pulled always pulled away smoothly. The Honda V-6 was quiet, smooth-revving and never felt strained.
The only real fly in the ointment reared its ugly head during that same passing maneuver. An aggressive stab at the gas pedal yielded a nasty jerk to the left as torque steer proved again that high powered cars should transmit at least some of their output through non-steering wheels. The current TL is only available with front-wheel-drive, but hopefully the next generation will offer Acura's Super Handling-All Wheel Drive system at least as an option. The current third generation TL has been on the market since September 2003 and is derived from the previous generation US-market Accord. With a new Accord being rolled out as this is written, the next TL will probably launch by this time next year.Aside from the torque steer, the TL was a pleasurable ride that never lost its composure along some twisty roads in Northern Oakland County. Driven at speeds that could exercise the suspension and tires without putting one's license at excessive risk, the TL's steering was nicely weighted but didn't provide BMW levels of feedback. The Brembo front brakes felt strong and progressive and had good pedal feel with no mushiness. The handling was fairly neutral up to eight-tenths and the suspension did a good job of absorbing the bumps while the dampers kept the body motions in check. Unfortunately, we didn't get the opportunity to flog the front-wheel-drive cars on the track.
Up front, the TL has comfortable, supportive leather seats with plenty of head and leg-room. The test model was equipped with the in-dash navigation system and surprisingly the audio system had a CD changer and another narrower but thicker slot ostensibly for some format called a cassette. I'll have to remember to look those up on Engadget to see when they're coming out. 
In previous reviews of the Saturn Aura and Outlook I've complained about some fit and finish issues, particularly the alignment of trim between the door panels and dashboard. As nice a car as the Acura TL is, it too suffers from this very same ailment. If it's not good enough in a $25,000 Aura it sure shouldn't happen in a $38,225 luxury sport sedan. We only had an hour with the TL and aside from this minor fit and finish issue and the torque steer it acquitted itself very well. Hopefully Honda will see fit to provide one for a more thorough evaluation soon so that we can tell you what the TL is really like to live with.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
GL 10:34PM (4/21/2008)
Sounds to me like none of you has much time in a 08 tl.
I have owned a 2008 TL-S 6M for 4 months and 9,000 miles and every day am more impressed. Test drove The Lexus models and a BMW 530. All nice cars but chose the Acura and very happy with it. Very fast! Comfortable and quality is excellent. I would quicky buy another if lost this one!
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Dr, G 10:18AM (9/09/2008)
I went back and bought that TL-S, and now I have about 10,000 miles on it and average 25 MPG in my combined freeway(75-80mph) and city commute. You do have to mind the torque steer from time to time, but as far as a daily driver, this one puts a smile on your face. It's fun to drive and a superb freeway cruiser. I don't know who the moron was who geared the G35, but he should be shot. At my average freeway speeds, the G35 is doing over 3000 rpm. Why? that 3.5 should have no problem pulling 2.5-2.8K rpm. The car is already crude enough with vibration in the shifter, so much so most of the magazines prefer the auto trans. If I had to spend my time on the track every weekend, I might have bought something else, but I have no regrets about buying a TL-S.
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Mondo 1:24PM (9/10/2007)
I'm having some trouble with my spellcheck. Is it boreing, booring, buring...? Oh yeah, b-o-r-i-n-g.
What a snooze of a car, and I own an Accord.
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Imp 1:34PM (9/10/2007)
How funny ... a guy who owns one of THE MOST boring vehicles on the road is laying into something that drives better and looks better, even if it's from the same family.
syed 11:07PM (9/10/2007)
well, if you are an Accord owner, you have NO credibility when judging how boring a car is.
Mondo 2:05PM (9/10/2007)
I actually have complete credibility. I only mentioned the Accord to show I'm not just someone ragging on a car I know nothing about. The Accord is my wife's daily driver not mine.
Ricky 3:26PM (9/10/2007)
Accord still less boring than a Camry. Although if I were ever forced to have a FWD car (God Forbid), I would prob take the TSX for balance/luxury
Maestro1 5:57PM (9/10/2007)
Mondo's comments bring me to a number of questions:
1. Why is Mondo's wife driving an Accord (granted, a Camry is worse ;-P)
2. (To re-establish his credibility among us) What does Mondo drive?
3. What does Mondo find boring about the TL?
In my personal opinion, the TL would be much better served with an AWD system, even if it is the under-performing SH-AWD (I say this because from what i've read, SH-AWD doesn't perform well in snow - but that's just from what i've read so correct me if i'm wrong).
Otherwise I like it, the lines set it apart from the normal boring vanilla cars we see on the road today, but then again TLs are more common these days too...
SOhp101 1:29PM (9/10/2007)
The MDX is the same way in terms of trim alignment between door panel and dashboard. I suppose a well sealing door is more important to me than perfectly aligned trim pieces.
Can't wait for the '09 TL though, if that's when they'll bring the 3rd gen. It would be one sweet car.
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jas12niss 3:41PM (9/10/2007)
Fwd $38,225 garbage, just go buy a G37.
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viks 2:06PM (9/10/2007)
If not for the ricey chrome tail spoiler, I will buy a G37...
R 2:16PM (9/10/2007)
Doesn't seem that ricey at all. If a *little* chrome trim makes a car ricey, then most MB AMG vehicles must be ricey, too.
Ricky 3:48PM (9/10/2007)
Wow, you choose a horrible understeer in a ridiculously overpowered FWD platform over a perfect RWD platform because of a 2"x6" piece of chrome. You must be a "looks" over "mechanics" person, so just go out and buy an Audi TT.
SherbornSean 1:50PM (9/10/2007)
Acura has nothing to introduce this model year, so they do these PR puff pieces. Yawn.
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Tsunami Racer 2:24PM (9/10/2007)
true dat. i used to put together these "PR puff pieces". if you've got no news to talk about, you make news: look at these new options packages, the new paint choices, the stuff that was optional last year that's standard this year - all in all, we've made over 150 new changes to this year's car yatta yatta yatta.
you feed the media lots of good food and booze and put them up in a nice hotel. you laugh at their jokes and you tell them they've lost weight since the last time you saw them. you make them feel special by having them sit next to engineers and marketing executives and pray your people don't say stupid things that end up on print.
you have the cars all lined up perfectly and map out driving courses the media don't follow anyways. you make sure you've got a stash of spare tires laying about and you always keep a couple seat belt extenders for the 'generously sized' writers.
all in a day's work...
TriShield 2:05PM (9/10/2007)
Well, at least it looks good.
I was in the market when they debuted but was not impressed with the interior trim, workmanship, driving dynamics and general unrefinement of the car.
I agree, there are much better choices for the money today like the Infiniti G.
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Namir 11:00PM (9/10/2007)
I was very interested in the TL-S, until I went for a drive and chatted with my local dealer. I asked him where they were made and informed me that the TL are primarily assembled in the United States, in Ohio I think. I forget the numbers exactly but I remember that only a small portion, engine and transmission, are built in the Japan. The trim issues with panels and stitching and basic lack of quality is due to the US assembly. The RL is 95% made in Japan and suffers none of the same ailments.
Why do we (U.S.) suck at making things?
CoreyG 2:13PM (9/10/2007)
I don't know why your torque steer would have been that evident, as the 6-speed manual transmission comes with a limited-slip differential. In my 63,000+ miles of experience with a 6-speed 2004 TL, I have rarely experienced it.
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yin 2:48PM (9/10/2007)
Acura is made for area of the country where there's snow and RWD just doesn't cut it. Not everyone live in California you know?
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ageedoy 3:21PM (9/10/2007)
Ok, then there's the G35x in that case.